Rajon Rondo is the first player who can relate to the pressure and perceptions DeMarcus Cousins deals with.

Both Rondo and Cousins have been called angry and mercurial.

“He’s a misunderstood kid,” Rondo said. “I think that’s why I gravitate toward him so much. I love what he’s doing.”

Cousins' locker is next to Rondo's.

“I think DeMarcus wants to be a winner, he wants to be on a winning team, he wants to play playoff basketball, and I think his anger and frustration is he doesn’t want to remember the past,” said George Karl. “He wants to forget the past and move into a better future. Any player that’s been on a winning team can tell stories and give situations to a younger player that’s trying to learn, trying to grow.”

Rondo is on a one-year deal and Cousins hopes the Kings re-sign him.

“This dude makes my job so much easier on a nightly basis,” Cousins said. “Throughout my career, this probably is the most easy baskets I’ve ever got. He just makes my job so much easier.”